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Presently in semiconductor manufacturing facilities, semiconductor wafers are transported between various destinations, such as storage locations and processing stations, in closed containers. These containers are delivered to load ports at the desired storage location or processing station either manually or by an overhead hoist system. Once the containers have been delivered to the load port, a door on the container is removed before the wafers can be accessed.
Overhead hoist systems are advantageous in that they can be positioned out of the way of the processing stations and storage locations. Also, they do not block access to the facilities by personnel.
A semiconductor wafer carrier has on its bottom surface a kinematic coupling that interfaces with kinematic coupling pins specified by the SEMI E57 standard.
The present invention relates to a floor-supported material handling and transport system for moving material supported by a carrier between storage and processing destinations. The system comprises one or more vehicles that run along a support structure, for example, a pathway or a track assembly supported on a floor. The system may be located in a tunnel. The tunnel may be pressurized above the ambient environment to prevent particles and other contaminants from entering the tunnel if it is desired to maintain a clean environment in the tunnel.
The vehicle comprises one or more trucks configured to run along the support structure and a chassis supported by the trucks. The vehicle also comprises a carrier nest configured to receive and support a carrier capable of holding a material to be transported along the support structure. The carrier nest includes a plurality of pins configured to mate with corresponding recesses on a bottom surface of the carrier. The carrier nest may be configured to maintain the carrier at a incline, such as 5xc2x0 from horizontal, to prevent material in the carrier from falling out of an opening in the carrier during transport and handling. A lifting mechanism is operative to vertically raise and lower the carrier nest.
A load port support surface, which may be the top surface of the tunnel, is disposed vertically above the support structure. An opening is provided in the load port support surface sized to allow vertical passage of the carrier therethrough. A load port nest on the load port support surface is configured to receive and support the carrier adjacent a selected destination. The load port nest includes a plurality of pins configured to mate with corresponding recesses on the bottom surface of the carrier. A carrier manipulation mechanism is operative to manipulate the carrier from a raised position on the vehicle nest and elevated through the passage in the support surface to a load position on the load port nest. The lifting mechanism then lowers the carrier onto the load port nest.
In one embodiment, the carrier is transported on the vehicle with a carrier access face oriented at an angle, typically 45xc2x0, to the direction of travel on the support structure. The carrier manipulation mechanism is operative to rotate the vehicle and the carrier about a remote center to bring the access face parallel to an access port at the selected destination. Arcuate slots are provided in the load port support surface to allow passage of the pins of the carrier nest.
In another embodiment, the carrier is transported on the vehicle with the carrier access face oriented parallel to the direction of travel. The carrier manipulation mechanism is operative to move the vehicle and carrier to an access port at the selected destination while maintaining the orientation of the carrier access face parallel to the direction of travel along the support structure, which is also parallel to the access port at the selected destination. Arcuate slots are provided in the load port support surface to allow passage of the pins of the carrier nest.
The system is particularly suited for use in semiconductor wafer manufacturing facilities. In the semiconductor field, the carrier nest on the vehicle and the load port nest on the support surface preferably conform to the SEMI E57 standard for semiconductor wafer manufacturing. The tunnel may include a pass through section to allow personnel to pass from one side to another side of the tunnel. An elevator assembly may be provided to lift a vehicle over or under the floor level.